Page 8

ROYAL

E ver since Averi moved into my building, I’d made it my mission to fuck with her daily. Not in a serious way. But just enough to piss her off and make it fun for me kind of way. I don’t know what it was about getting under her skin, but something about it was entertaining as fuck.

Maybe it was the way she would roll her eyes so hard she damn near saw her ancestors.

Or how she’d purse those pretty- pouty ass lips, take a deep breath like she was practicing patience, and then let out some smart-ass comment that made me smirk.

Whatever it was, I wasn’t about to stop anytime soon.

She sat across from me in the dim glow of the studio, legs crossed, deep in concentration as she scribbled something down in her notebook. The way she zoned out when she was working was actually kinda dope to watch. Not that I’d ever say that out loud.

The track she had sent me a few weeks ago—a slow R&B-style melody with an edge—had been playing in my head non-stop.

Something about the way it flowed, the way it demanded something sensual, something raw, had me writing shit I probably shouldn’t have been writing.

Not just about any woman, though…about her.

I had no idea why she was my inspiration, but I wasn’t about to sit here and unpack that shit. Instead, I did what I do best. I put it in the music. I cleared my throat and placed the headphones over my ear.

“Run that back, I’mma do it one more time.” I told Malachi and he nodded from the other side of the booth. In my ear I could hear the music play and suddenly, my voice filled the room and my ears, deep and smooth over the bass-heavy beat:

Attitude on mean, but I bet I could tame it…

Body like a sin, swear to God I’m tryna claim it…

Say she hate me, but I know that she fakin’…

Lip-biting every time I got her shakin’…

I continued the rest of the song, stopping once I got to the part where the hook was going to go before placing my headphones on the chair inside the booth and stepping out.

“Play it back, so I can hear it.” Again, Malachi pressed a few buttons, and the song played. I glanced over at Averi, waiting for her reaction. Her brows lifted slightly, but she nodded along, unimpressed but interested.

“Hmmm.” She tilted her head. “This is actually… really good.”

I smirked. “Obviously.”

She ignored me. “Who’s it about?”

I shrugged. “Nobody, just a song Shawty.”

Her lips twitched, like she knew I was bullshitting. “Mmm.”

I watched her as she tapped her pen against her knee, humming to herself before writing something down in her notebook.

“You tryna add to my shit?” I asked, raising a brow.

She side-eyed me. “I’m improving your shit.” I laughed but let her work. “Try this for the hook.”

She slid the notebook toward me, her handwriting neat, but her additions bold as hell. I skimmed over her rewritten lines, the slick metaphors she slipped in, the way she made my words even sharper without changing the energy.

She a wild one, love the way she talk back…

Red lips, slick tongue, make a nigga fall back…

Say she don’t need love, but I know she lyin’…

Dangerous curves, got me swervin’ while she ridin’…

Mmm, she move different when she all alone…

Act tough, but she melt when she hear my tone…

Say she hate me, but I know she fiendin’…

Playin’ with fire, but she love the way it’s heatin’…

And I hated that I liked it. “You ain’t terrible,” I muttered, not wanting to gas her too much.

She smirked. “Fuck outta here.”

After hours of going back and forth in the studio, I leaned back in my chair and stretched. “Let’s get some food,” I said.

Averi frowned. “What?”

I stood up, grabbing my keys. “I’m hungry. Do you wanna go eat?”

She hesitated. “What? With you?”

I smirked. “Obviously with me, you scared?”

She rolled her eyes. “No. But I already know how people are. We get seen out together and suddenly we’re dating.”

I scoffed. “Man, who gives a fuck?”

“I give a fuck.”

“Why? Your good girl image can’t get tangled up with a nigga like me huh?”

“I didn’t say that…”

I laughed. “Shawty, it’s just food. Damn, you act like I asked you on a date.”

She stared at me for a long moment, then sighed. “Fine. But if some dumbass blog posts about it, I’m blaming you.”

Ms. Kay’s was a hole-in-the-wall spot, one of those places that looked humble as hell from the outside, but once you walked in? You were home. It was one of those spots that didn’t need no social media hype—word of mouth alone kept it packed daily.

The smell of fried chicken, fish, collard greens, and mac and cheese hit us the second we stepped in wrapping around me like nostalgia.

Averi took it all in, brows lifting slightly. “Okay… this place already smells amazing.”

I smirked. “Told you.” She had been skeptical about being out on ‘this side of town’ during the short ride here, just like a stuck up ass debutante.

Zay’s grandma, Ms. Kay, had been running this place since before I was even a thought, and I’d been coming here for years.

I knew everybody in here, and most of them knew me so I wasn’t worried.

These were my peoples and in the city that I loved and that loved me, I knew I would be protected whether I had security with me or not.

A waitress led us to a booth near the back. A few heads turned when we walked in, but I was used to it.

“Ayo, Royal!” someone called out from a table near the window.

I dapped up a few people on the way to our booth, and Averi followed, keeping her expression neutral. The moment we sat down, a young couple approached us, grinning.

“Sorry to bother y’all, aren’t you Averi St. Claire from The Coven?” the woman asked.

“Yeah, how you doing?” Averi smiled politely.

“Oh my God we’re big fans of the show. And Royal we love your music. Can we get a picture?”

“Of course, Sweetheart.” I said standing up and grabbing her phone so I could snap a few picture of us. Averi was polite, smiling as we both took a few quick photos. More people started murmuring, phones subtly going up, snapping pictures.

Averi leaned in. “See? Told you this would happen.”

“It’s cool Shawty, chill.”

A waitress came over, setting down two sweet teas before we even ordered. “You already know what you want?” I asked, unfolding my menu.

She eyed me. “What do you usually get?”

“The smothered chicken plate,” I said easily. “Shit’ll change your life.”

She pursed her lips, considering. “I’ll get that then.”

I smirked. “Tryna be like me?”

She scoffed. “Nigga, please.”

I chuckled, but before I could respond, my phone buzzed. I glanced at the screen and saw that it was Princess so I answered immediately. “What’s up, baby girl?” Averi’s brows lifted slightly, like she hadn’t expected my voice to be so… soft.

“Hi, Ro,” my little sister chirped. “I was just calling ‘cause I need some money to get some stuff for school. Mama told me to call and ask you.”

I didn’t even hesitate. “How much you need?”

She rattled off a number. I pulled up my Cash App, sent double what she asked for, and told her to let me know if she needed anything else.

“Thank you. I love you, Ro.”

I smiled, something I rarely did. “Love you too, baby.”

When I hung up, I noticed Averi watching me. She rested her chin in her hand, tilting her head. “Who was that? Your little girlfriend?”

I smirked. “Why? You jealous?”

She made a face. “Nigga, no.”

I chuckled, shaking my head. “That was my little sister, Princess. She’s about to start at Spelman next semester.”

Averi nodded slowly. “That’s cute.”

“What?”

She shrugged. “Your voice got all soft when you was talking to her. Never heard that from you, since you always being so damn mean to me. You must spoil her huh?”

I leaned back. “She’s the baby and the only girl. She get whatever she wants from all of us.”

Averi smirked. “That makes sense. You seem like the type to be soft for your family.”

I just shook my head, choosing to ignore that. “You got brothers and sisters?”

“Yeah, a brother and a sister. I’m the oldest.”

“The oldest? Damn that mean you take care of everybody huh? Shit, that’s how King is. Nigga think he run shit.”

“Well, I definitely don’t try to run them. I love them, but we’re not as close as other siblings might be.”

“Why not?”

“Just aren’t,” she shrugged.

She left it like that, no further explanation but that made me curious. She was the type to be super family oriented, the good girl type that was all about family. I wondered what had her with this frame of mind about her own family.

As we waited for our food, I caught Averi humming to herself. I leaned in. “You sound good Shawty, why you don’t be singing your own songs?”

“Because I write songs,” she said firmly. “I don’t perform them.”

I frowned. “Why not?”

She exhaled. “Because I like being in the background. I don’t like attention like that.”

I smirked. “We got that in common.”

She shot me a look. “Nigga, you love attention that’s why you all in the videos, smiling and getting folks attention.”

I laughed. “Aight, you got me.” I paused, then casually said, “You should do the hook on my new track.”

She shook her head immediately. “No.”

I frowned. “Damn, that fast?”

She sighed. “I don’t do hooks. I don’t sing.”

I shrugged. “You be sounding good, though.”

She pursed her lips, irritated. “I…do… not… sing.”

I held up my hands. “Aight, damn. Relax.”

A short while later, I heard a familiar gentle voice approaching us. “Well, well, look who it is.”

I grinned before standing up and letting her pull me into her body. “Hey, Grandma Kay.”

When she released me, her wise old eyes flickered between me and Averi before a slow knowing smile spread across her face.

“And who’s this pretty thing you brought with you? This your new girlfriend?”

Averi immediately straightened, looking mildly horrified. “Oh, no, we’re not?—”

“We just workin’ on music Grandma,” I cut in.

Grandma Kay gave me a look that screamed I ain’t buyin’ that shit, but she let it go.

“Mmhmm.” She patted my cheek. “You be good to this one, y’hear? Food should be out soon.”

I sighed. “Grandma Kay?—”

She just winked before heading back to the kitchen.

Averi smirked. “She thinks I’m your girlfriend.”

I groaned, dragging a hand down my face. “She thinks anybody I’m sitting with is my girlfriend.”

We ended up taking our food to-go since the crowd was growing. Back at Grindhouse, I was revising a verse when my phone buzzed.

A notification from Tea And Honey , the nosiest gossip blog on the internet. I clicked the link and—Dead. Fuckin’. Ass. A picture of me and Averi at Ms. Kay’s. The caption?

“Are Royal Teegan and Averi St. Claire Dating? ”

I exhaled slowly, already knowing she’d seen it before I even looked up. Because there she was, across the studio, arms crossed, one eyebrow raised, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

I smirked. “Guess we go together now.”

She flipped me off.

I laughed. This shit was getting fun.